Timeline of Human Cloning
What is Cloning? Cloning is used to generate genetically identical clones of a cell or organism. In studyies of human cloning this process is often referred to has cloning DNA. The process and idea of cloning has been around since has far back as 5000 B.C. according to a timeline done by MSNBC at MSNBC.com. The process of cloning was discovered by some of the first humans when they came to realize that if they planted corn seeds produced by the heartiest plant seeds, then the next crop would be a strong one. Whether these early humans that discovered the first step in manipulation of life did so only to satisfy human needs we may never know, but today that is the main purpose and goal to be achieved in cloning. Whether these early humans that made this discovery thought what they discovered would lead to what it has, we will also never known. However we do know that the research and science of cloning has very much advanced since that first discovery of the better breed of corn. What is next in the research and discovery of cloning ability’s is unknown and in my opinion a bit frightening. Will researchers one day produce the first cloned human? The answer is unclear at this point still today research continues and grows everyday in all departments involving cloning especially in human cloning. To the present day the history of cloning is as follows in this timeline of the history of cloning found on MSNBC.com:
5000 B.C
. — A better breed of corn
Early humans discover that if they plant seeds produced by the heartiest plants, the next crop will be a strong one. This is the first step in manipulating life to suit human needs, which is the ultimate goal of cloning.
Additionally, Britain became the first country to effectively legalize the cloning of human embryos in January, when the government approved a controversial measure aimed at allowing research on stem cells found in embryos. The clones created under the new regulations would have to be destroyed after 14 days, and the creation of babies by cloning would remain outlawed.
1952
— A tadpole is cloned
A tiny tadpole makes history as the first cloned animal. Using cells from a tadpole embryo, Robert Briggs and Thomas King create tadpoles identical to the original.
1972
— Xeroxing a gene
Cloning steps down to the minute level with the first cloning of a gene. Scientists isolate the gene, then bind it to an organism (in this instance a yeast) that incorporates the gene into its own DNA and multiplies, producing many copies of the desired gene.
1976
— From mice to men
Rudolf Jaenisch of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., injects human DNA into newly fertilized mouse eggs to produce mice that are part human. When the mice reproduce, they pass their human genetic material to their offspring, creating a slew of so-called transgenic mice. Different human diseases can be studied by creating mice with the appropriate genetic composition.
1978
— The world's first test-tube baby
The world clamors for a glimpse of Baby Louise, the first child conceived through in-vitro fertilization. Using the husband’s sperm, British doctors fertilize an egg in a petri dish, then implant the embryo in the uterus of the healthy woman.
1987
— From embryo to ewe
The first mammals, sheep and cows, are cloned from embryonic cells. But animals cloned from embryonic cells contain the genetic material of both parents because the embryos are sexually fertilized. Clones from embryonic cells from the same parents fertilized at different times are as different as brothers and sisters.
1997
— Hello, Dolly
Dolly the sheep, the world’s first mammal cloned from a cell of an adult animal, was born in 1996, but her existence isn’t revealed to the world until February 1997. Embryologist Ian Wilmut and colleagues at the Roslin Institute in Scotland clone Dolly from a cell taken from the udder of an adult ewe. In response to public concern, President Bill Clinton issues a moratorium on the use of federal funds for human cloning research.
1998
— Send in the clones
Scientists at the University of Hawaii clone more than 50 mice from adult cells, creating three generations of identical laboratory animals. Meanwhile, several independent teams of researchers successfully clone calves using differing techniques. Most notably, Japanese researchers produce eight genetically identical calves from the biopsied cells of an adult cow with a success rate of 80 percent -- making it the most efficient cloning endeavor to date
2000
— Monkey business
Oregon researchers reveal the existence of Tetra the cloned monkey. The rhesus macaque was cloned using a very different method than Dolly. Tetra was made by splitting a very early embryo -- consisting of only eight cells -- into four pieces. These were then nurtured into new embryos, but only one survived. So unlike Dolly, Tetra has both a mother and father and is a clone of neither, but is rather an artificial quadruplet.
Additionally, the company that helped produce Dolly unveiled a litter of five cloned piglets. The company says herds of cloned pigs could one day provide a genetically engineered source of organ transplants for humans
2001
— Are people next?
U.S. fertility specialist Panayiotis Zavos and a team of international scientists announced in March that hundreds of couples had volunteered for an experiment to create cloned children. The team said it was poised to help infertile couples bear clones as early as 2003.
2002 — CopyCat
Texas A&M researchers announce in February that they have cloned a domestic cat for the first time. The calico-and-white female -- named "cc," for "CopyCat" -- is a twin of her genetic "mother," but her fur has a different pattern because of developmental factors. The advance marks another step toward the routine cloning of household pets.
In December, Clonaid, a company associated with the Raelian movement, which believes mankind was created by aliens, announces the first human clone, a baby girl.
Later, the independent scientist and journalist brought in by Clonaid to verify its experiment denounces their claim as an “elaborate hoax.”
2004 — Therapeutic cloning
Fertility expert Dr. Panayiotis Zavos says he has transferred a cloned human embryo into a woman. He later announces that the experiment failed.
In February, South Korean and U.S. researchers say they have cloned a human embryo and extracted from it sought-after cells called embryonic stem cells. The experiment is the first published report of cloned human stem cells and means so-called therapeutic cloning is no longer a theory but a reality.